A Tendency To Start Fires
by Toxic-Koala
Summary: Sequel to ‘Pardon Me’ Audrey our favorite nonmutant spaz's journey continues PyroOc!
1. Coma Patient

"John?" Audrey rasped into his shoulder. This had to be the tightest hug she'd ever received from anyone, and while she couldn't stop grinning, she also couldn't breathe very well at the moment either.

"Hmm?" John mumbled back, too relieved to really form words.

"Contents under pressure." She told him.

John furrowed his eyebrows and didn't respond to what she had said at first. Then slowly- apologetically he released her.

She smiled at him brightly.

John's eyes flickered to the floor as he ran a nervous hand through his hair. He was regretting having grabbed and squeezed her like that- he was regretting more having to have had let go of her.

Audrey's eyebrows wrinkled as she watched John. He was pale, thin, and tired looking. He obviously hadn't slept or ate in awhile. And she briefly wondered exactly how long she'd been unconscious when she noticed the stubble lining his face. He hadn't shaved either. She reached out her hand and grazed her fingers across the razory hairs on his jaw.

John's eyes went from the floor to hers. A moment of silence passed between them- which wasn't awkward- or even truly silent. Each expressed concern for one another in that moment without having to verbally say anything. But as suddenly as the moment began- it was already over.

"Your all stubly." Audrey said, a slightly teasing tone in her voice.

John's lips formed a weak smirk.

"Yea, well." He ran another hand through his greasy hair. "Xavier gave everyone direct orders not to let me near anything sharp while I was here."

Audrey grinned. "Wait… where is here?"

"Welcome to Xaviers school for gifted youngsters." Xavier said calmly from the doorway.

Both John and Audrey had forgotten he was there. They looked towards him and Audrey lifted her eyebrows while surveying the sterile looking labratoryesque hospital room around her. "This is a school?" She asked.

"For mutants." John said.

"Wait," Realization- or maybe it was worry passed over her face. "What happened at Alkali lake? Is Amelia alright? What about everyone else?" She turned to Xavier. "That old bastard got caught right? Magneto didn't get away?"

"Actually." John began sounding miserable.

"Wait, never mind. I don't want to know right now- I only want to know if Amelia's okay- the rest can wait."

"Amelia is just fine." Xavier told her.

* * *

"I'm fine." Amelia called to Logan from inside the bathroom.

"You sure Grim?" He asked.

"Yes."

With that Wolverine walked away from the bathroom door.

* * *

Audrey visible calmed when Xavier explained Amelia was fine and well, and in the building and looked back to John briefly before leaning her forehead on his chest.

"I'll- give you two a moment." Xavier said quietly, and left knowing neither teenager had really heard him.

Audrey wrapped her hands around John, and his body stiffened in her grasp. It had been forever since he'd received a _true _hug- and the action was equally unnerving, temping, and dangerous.

She could feel his ribs poking out from beneath his shirt and skin and Audrey made a face and stood up- "So I was…" She trailed off, releasing him.

"In a coma." John said simply, a twinge of something she didn't know what in his voice.

"For…"

"A couple of weeks." He said, his eyes pinching shut for a second.

"So you…"

"…Checked up on you every once in awhile." He said, his eyebrows twitching together in an almost furrow.

"I was actually going to ask-" She turned and went back to the bed and laid down on it, crossing one leg over another casually. "If you had given me any sponge baths."

"No." John said quickly- as though he'd been accused of something horrible.

Audrey started laughing and sat up on the bed, curling her legs underneath her. "So helmet head got away?"

It was then, before John had a chance to respond that the door opened and a woman with red hair rushed in, followed by a large furry blue man.

The second he entered- Audrey's eyes were glued to his blue fur- why were the coolest looking mutants all blue.

"Wicked." She said absently as the woman with red hair began to take Audrey's blood pressure. "Wait a minute- your not related to Mystique are you?" She asked the Blue Bigfoot.

"Certainly not." He replied quickly.

"You sure?" Audrey asked skeptically.

"Very."

"Positive."

"Yes." He replied. "Dr. Hank Mccoy. Or 'Beast' to some." He said pleasantly.

"Audrey Harris." Audrey said just as pleasantly, and held out her hand to him. He shook her hand gently and she was left in awe of his large furry hand. "Your awesome." She stated and watched him as though she were star struck in some way.

Beast smiled broadly and took a pair of fine wire rimmed glasses from his white lab coat. He walked to monitoring machines Audrey had unhooked from herself a half a second after waking, Beast began checking something on them. "You removed your Iv needle." He said more to himself than to her.

"Yea, I didn't like it." Audrey said in a absent, simple way while examining the redheads face. "I know you ."

The redhead glanced up nervously for a second before writing down Audrey's blood pressure and moving to stand in front of her.

"Jean." The woman said, smiling self consciously as she pulled a light pen from her pocket. "I'm going to check your pupils okay?"

"Alrighty." Audrey replied and Jean flashed the light into one of her eyes. "Have we met befo-- _OH_." Audrey's sudden revelational outburst had startled Jean and she dropped her pen light. "I remember!" Audrey continued, swinging her legs over the side of the hospital bed. "You're Phoenix!" What shocked Jean was that Audrey hadn't said this in an accusing way, but instead of in an excited one. "Why didn't you tell me she was alive?" Audrey asked over Jean without looking away. "No offence, but I really didn't think you were going to make it." she said to Jean, shrugging while she said it. Jean nodded and Audrey stood and looked behind Jean and to the wall that John had leaned up against- but he wasn't there. She glanced around the room- he wasn't there. "John?"

Jean and Beast exchanged glances.

"He probably went to tell your sister your awake." Jean offered half heartedly.

Audrey snorted. "Yea, hopefully he didn't do that." She said, turning and sitting back down on the bed. "I mean- Amelia would probably kill him."

"Would she?" Beast asked, lifting a thick blue eyebrow and walking around next to Jean.

"Yes, she would." Audrey stated, and upon the confused looks she received she continued. "Amelia doesn't do forgiveness.- She never has."

Jean pulled out a stethoscope and beast wheeled around a steel cart with medical instruments on it while Audrey continued. "She still hasn't forgiven me for the time I cut the head off of Mr. Pockets."

"Mr. Pockets?" Beast questioned, while pulling a syringe out. Audrey's fell silent.

"Whatcha doin with that?" She asked while staring distractedly at the syringe.

"I'm going to take a blood sample." Beast explained.

"Your not afraid of needles are you?" Jean asked, slightly concerned.

"No." Audrey said simple and held out her arm. "But public rest rooms freak me out a little."

"Oh." Jean said simply, smiling.

"Don't tell me they don't scare you." Audrey spoke as Beast slid the needle into her arm, she flinched a little but didn't complain. "Some public restrooms are okay, like the ones with those paper toilet seat covers but- particularly- gas station bathrooms are scary as hell." She looked up at beast without pausing. "So what's your mutation?" She asked.

"I- ugh." Beast pulled out the needle and twisted out the blood sample and sat it on the cart.

Audrey waited expectantly for his response.

"I have an irregularly high IQ." Beast said after a second. "And I am-" he gestured to himself. "As I am."

"Big blue and hairy?" Audrey said smiling at him sweetly.

"Precisely." Beast said.

"Can I ask you guys a question?" Audrey asked.

"Of coarse." Jean said while checking in the teenagers ears.

"Did John wait with me the entire time I was asleep?"

Jean leant back and looked at Audrey in silent consideration.

"Did he?" Audrey asked impatiently. No answer. She looked to Beast and lifted her eyebrows. "Did he?"

"He did, yes." Beast answered. "Jean, I'm taking this to the lab- can you finish checking her up?"

"No problem." Jean answered quietly.

Beast left and Audrey turned to Jean and wrinkled her eyebrows. "So- why are you all quietish and apologetic acting?" She asked.

Jean just stopped jotting something down and looked at Audrey silently. "I'm not-"

"Yea you are." Audrey interrupted. "Your worried I haven't forgiven you for launching me over a lake and nearly killing me as well as my sister."

Jean paled.

"Well you don't have to." The teen continued- now smiling. "Holding a grudge isn't my style."

"So your not.." Jean trailed- lifting her chin slightly.

"Angry at you? Nope."

"And your sister…"

"Oh yea, she's going to not like you for a long time." Audrey said matter-o-factly "and by a long time- I mean a really long time."

Jean nodded and finished writing down what she had started.

"Like a really long time."

Jean nodded again.

"Like until hell has frozen over. Frozen over- melted and turned into hot chocolate."

"Audrey?"

"I got it."


	2. Hospital Beds

Audrey lay- sprawled out across her hospital bed, looking as absolutely bored as she felt.

Jean and Beast had finished the examination and had been silently and grimly reviewing a chart in silence for a few minutes now and Audrey was beginning to get annoyed.

"So- Am I going to live?" She asked dully and Beast and Jean nodded absentmindedly. Audrey rolled her eyes and sat up lazily. "Am I…" She paused and crossed her arms. "Going to become king of Peru?"

Jean and Beast nodded again, absently.

"Will there be any anal probing today?" Audrey asked in a casual manner.

Jean and Beast began to nod but stopped and looked at Audrey, confused.

"Excuse me?" Jean asked- wide eyed and Audrey just smirked.

"Are we done- can I go?"

"Actually we have some things to review-" Beast began

"Has anyone told Amelia I'm up yet?" Audrey interrupted.

Beast and Jean looked like they were guilty of something.

Audrey grinned "Oh- you _gotta _let me tell her- ."

* * *

Some people in the crowded hallway stopped and stared at the girl in her pajama's creeping along the wall humming the mission impossible theme to herself. Rogue was one of them. 

Everyone who did stop and look could have realized- if they tried real hard that that weird girl was the one all the rumors were about. The Grim Reapers daughter, or cousin, or sister- depending on who told you the story- that was kidnapped and nearly killed by magneto himself.

Rogue watched as the strange girl snuck up behind Grim. Her breath in her throat. What if Grim dusted the girl?

"BAH!" Audrey bellowed from behind Amelia.

Amelia screeched and turned- ready to dust whatever had made that noise. However ,upon seeing her little sister Amelia's hands dropped from their raised position and immediately pulled the spastic teen into a tight hug.

Audrey hopped up and hugged her sister back, grinning as she was released.

"Your-"

"Awake!" Audrey said happily. "And back to normal."

"You've never been normal." Amelia said, a smile on her lips.

"Good point." Audrey grumbled as they hugged again.

"Spaz."

Audrey grinned and then- sniffed the air lightly. Ignoring the crowd forming around them, Audrey sniffed her own armpit and mad a face. "Gah! I need a shower." She said, ashamed.

* * *

Audrey spent about an hour in the shower alone, and when she stepped out of it the entire bathroom was like a sauna. Humming to herself, she waved a heavy cloud of steam away and stepped in front of the bathroom mirror- using her hand to wipe the fog away. 

Then she screamed- really loudly.

Her- Her-.

"MY HAIR!" She cried and stumbled back, tripping on her pile of cloths and tumbling backwards onto the floor. Her left arm landing in the cold toilet bowl as she fell.

She made a face and pulled her arm out of the toilet water. And stood back up- hesitantly peeking at her reflection- at her hair.

On the right side- most of it had been burnt off. Not to the scalp- thank god, but to just below her ear. How the hell did it happen!

"Oh." She said as she remembered a big ball of fire- and john. Somebody didn't screw with her hair when she was in a coma- it had happened when she was awake and well, it still sucked- but it was okay. It was fixable.

There was a loud bang on the door.

"Audrey?" Amelia called from the other side of the door- sounding stressed.

"Fell in the toilet." Audrey called back.

There was a beat of silence.

".._Okay_" Amelia said .

Amelia must have walked away from the door because nothing else was said as Audrey rummaged through the bathroom looking for some scissors. She slid open the bottom drawer and pulled out a large pair- snipped them twice and smiled brightly.

She looked at her reflection.

"Alright- time to go a little 'Edward scissor hands.'" She said and snipped the air in front of her.

* * *

Jean stood at the window, staring out into nothingness. 

She was feeling that familiar drag again. The pull into sweet nothingness. She was almost there- to that place where she felt everything and nothing at the same time. She'd almost succumb to the power of it all once again when she felt the voice in the back of her head.

_Don't do it Jean._

She never knew- who that voice belonged to. Her conscious, the professor, her imagination.

Her eye's flickered shut and Jean locked her jaw as she responded to it. _I don't know if I can stay… If I can be like this anymore. _

Jeans eyes opened and a familiar red burn flowed through them.

"Jean?" Xavier said from behind her and she clamped her eyes shut.

"I'll be in my room." She said walking away from the window.

* * *

John stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around himself. And began to pace again. She was awake- and of coarse one of the first things she had to see was him, looking strung out and sleep deprived. He ran a hand through his hair. Why was he still here? He'd told himself that once she was awake, he'd be gone. He should go now, get dressed and hit the road. 

And what? Go where? Back to Magneto with his tail between his legs.

But Magneto had technically left him there. John clenched a fist and leaned against the wall. Bullshit.

"I should leave." He said, his tone defeating his statement.

* * *

"Damn." Audrey said, admiring her choppy hair. She had imagined something sleek and styled not, ya know- a piecey hack job. But- If she were going for that kind of hardcore look it was actually a really good haircut. 

Audrey stepped out of the bathroom and into her sisters room. It was big and antique feeling. She walked over to the bed where Amelia had left a pair of jeans and a shirt. She picked up the shirt and looked at it- it was small, and obnoxiously pink with a cartoon rabbit on it that said 'you smell'.

She grinned and loved it immediately.

After she had dressed she tore out of the empty room like her ass was on fire. Running down the hallway and down the stairs- ignoring the looks she got. She slowed down when she smelled what she was looking for.

She sped up a little and rounded the corner and slammed into a person- knocking them both down and sprawling them across the floor. Audrey hopped up immediately with a smile and looked down at the guy she'd slammed into.

"Hey." She said happily. Holding a hand out to him.

He groaned and sat up.

She didn't wait for him to offer her his hand, she reached down and grabbed his arm, pulling him up.

"Sorry- I wouldn't of hit you if I'd known you were there, I'd of ran around." She held out her hand. "Audrey Anne Harris."

"Bobby Drake." He grumbled shaking her hand and rubbing his head.

She sniffed the air much like a rabbit would, and his eyes flickered to her shirt. Suddenly he felt a little self conscious.

"Look- um, I gotta go." She stated. Sniffing again. "Somebody's cooking something somewhere." She walked around him, sniffing and stopped suddenly. "Hey." She turned. "You know where somebody would cook something around here."

"Ugh, the kitchen?" he asked.

"Did you just ask me?" She asked.

"…No, you asked me…"

"And you answered with a question?" She questioned.

"I guess?"

Audrey's eyebrows furrowed.

"Wait, was that a question too?"

"Um," Bobby hesitated. "Let me show you where the kitchen is."

"Okay." She replied chipperly. And followed him as he walked by her. "Hey? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." He said over his shoulder.

"Are you a mutant too?" She asked him- genuinely interested.

Bobby stopped and Audrey walked around him and twirled on her toe to face him, smiling expectantly.

He stared at her for a minute and crinkled his eyebrows. "Did you just ask me if I were a mutant?"

"Yea." She said. "Your not def are you?"

"Huh?"

"Oh I'm sorry." She said a little louder. "I didn't really think you were-"

"No, I'm not def."

She relaxed a little. "So?"

"So."

"So are you a mutant." She repeated.

"Aren't you?" He asked

"Nope." She answered.

"Then what are you doing here?" Bobby questioned.

"That's not fair." Audrey told him. He looked confused. "Your trying to ask two questions when you haven't even answered my one. So I cant answer you until you answer me."

"I-"

"You were breaking questioning laws." She said, crossing her arms. "You have to answer my question and a penalty question now."

"Yes, I'm a mutant." He said after a second.

She seemed to consider his answer. "Okay." She tapped her chin. "What color are your underwear?"

"What?" He asked. But she was already laughing loudly.

"You don't have to answer that I just wanted to see what your reaction to that would be." She said, chuckling. "Although, I should be more careful with that question- I asked a guy that once and he tried to show me…" She trailed off. Then shook her head. "Not. Pretty."

Bobby smiled a little despite himself. Then shook his head. "Wait- your not a mutant."

"Nope."

"Then what are you doing here?" He asked, trying to work it out in his head.

"What are any of us doing here?" She answered cryptically, as though the question held some meaning. He tilted his head.

"Seriously." He said after a second.

"Take me to where I can get some food an I'll tell you." She bargained.

Bobby hesitated, then nodded.

* * *

Amelia walked into her room, and then up to the bathroom door. She knocked and there was no answer. Confused, she opened the door and saw hair litterally all over the floor, some stuck to the wall and a piece on the ceiling. 

She turned and looked to the bedroom- The dirty cloths, the towel strewn across the room. She'd seen this kind of mess before.

She put a hand to her temple and rubbed it, fighting off a headache. She'd told Audrey to stay.

Amelia left her room and walked down the hall, she had a good idea where her sister would be.

Logan stepped out of his room which was only a door down from hers and looked at her quizzically. "Grim?"

"You see a bald seventeen year old girl run through here?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"No." He said. Lifting his eyebrow he added. "Should I have."

Amelia sighed. "Audrey's ran off to find food."

"Audrey- she's" He paused. "She's awake?"

Amelia nodded.

"When?"

"Couple of hours ago." Amelia sighed. "There are kitchens on every floor practically."

Wolverine had picked up on the frustration quickly. "Needle in a haystack setting?"

"Big school, little Audrey."

"Need help?"

"No." She said. "But I'd like some."

Wolverine nodded, walking down the hall alongside Grim.

* * *

Audrey sat on the cafeteria table, chewing her pizza happily. Surrounded by a large group of teenage mutants whom she'd just recently met. 

"So you were kidnapped by Magneto?" A girl her own age asked.

Audrey nodded .

"Weren't you afraid?" Arthur a boy questioned.

Audrey shrugged.

"What did he want you for?" Bobby asked. Putting his slice of pizza on Audrey's plate.

"Oh- my sister Amelia.-"

"Grim?" Rogue interrupted.

"Yes?" Amelia called from the other side of the cafeteria. He arms folded- her expression wry. Behind her Logan did the exact same thing.

"Hey!" Audrey called happily

* * *

Next Chapter Soon! I've finally gotten a solid plot! Whoop! 


	3. Cold Fountains

"Come on Audrey." Amelia said without unfolding her arms.

Audrey's shoulders drooped and she put the piece of pizza down.

"I gotta go." She said quietly and slid off the table she was perched on. "But, you have to show me around later." She told Bobby. "Because… well, I decided you have to." She added and he nodded. She him and the others a smile and a wave. Then headed in Amelia's direction.

They walked into the hallway, Amelia beside her sister, Logan following behind them.

"Its time for you to go home." Amelia said stiffly.

"Huh?" Audrey said, stopping and looking at her sister curiously.

"I'm taking you home." Amelia repeated- not meeting her sisters eyes.

"Wait- home-home- or school home?" Audrey asked. "Because home-home is not an option."

"School home." Amelia clarified. "And what's wrong with home-home?"

"Like you wouldn't know." Audrey grumbled. "I don't want to go back to my school anyways. I want to stay here, with you."

Amelia looked at her sister finally, much like someone would look at a small lost kitten.- that she was about to have to kick.

"You cant stay here." Amelia said firmly.

"But-"

"Its not up for discussion." She said to her sister and began walking.

Audrey made a stubborn expression and looked up at Logan who just shrugged at her. She jogged after her sister. She couldn't think of anything convincing enough at the moment to tell her sister to get her to stay, which meant she'd have to stall.

Unfortunately Amelia knew this just as well as Audrey did.

"Your not stalling me, or changing my mind." Amelia said, turning to her sister. Who scowled. "Don't hate me." Amelia said stiffly, the desperation of the statement well hidden. "I know you think this place is 'cool' or whatever but, it is not safe for you."

"Neither is school, I got kidnapped from there remember. And yea I think this place is awesome. Besides." She added matter o' factly. "Here _you'd _be able to protect me. The safest place I can be is with you." Audrey said, the purity of her trust made Amelia want to hit her.

"There are lots of places safer than with me." Amelia said sharply.

Audrey took a step back, the only person in the world with the ability to truly scare her just had. Amelia regretted her tone the second it had escaped her. Logan looked at her with an expression which read 'harsh grim, harsh.'

Amelia rubbed her temple. "I can't take care of you right now Audrey."

"You don't have to, I feed myself, I bathe myself, I even change my own underwear." Audrey said as though truly proud of herself.

Logan's expression changed to slight entertainment.

Amelia looked at him and he changed his expression to 'I didn't think it was funny.'

She looked back to her sister. "Your not staying." She said firmly and walked down the hall.

Audrey looked up at Logan smugly. "Oh, I'm staying." She said with full confidence, and followed behind her sister.

Logan scratched his neck. Then walked off in the exact opposite direction of those two. He knew how to avoid a fight.

* * *

"You want me here." Audrey argued as they walked into Grim's room. 

Amelia didn't respond, only walked to her closet and pulled out a windbreaker.

"You want me here?" She repeated, not taking the jacket Amelia was offering. "Amelia?" Audrey asked, sounding hurt.

The jacket Grim held clutched in her hand exploded into a fine mist of black ash and Amelia stepped back rapidly. "Damn it!" She exclaimed, frustrated.

Audrey looked at her sister, for the first time worried. Amelia began to pace much like a caged animal of some kind.

"You cant stay." She said softly, and stopped her pacing to rub her forehead.

"Amelia." Audrey said.

"Its not safe." Amelia said sadly.

"What isn't safe?" Audrey asked.

Amelia didn't answer, and Audrey left the room.

Amelia dropped her hand and looked over at the door with fully dilated dark grey eyes.

"Me." She whispered.

* * *

Rogue stood in the kitchen listening to Bobby. 

"She's… " Bobby stared.

"Different." Rogue said.

"Yea, and she's not a mutant." He told her.

"She isn't?" Rogue asked.

"No- but she made it clear that she thinks they're awesome." He said in amazement.

"Johns here." Rogue said after a minute of silence.

"What?" Bobby asked.

"I saw him today, coming out of the… 'basement'" She said.

"Your sure it was him?" Bobby asked.

"Yea."

"Do you think he's up to something?" He questioned suspiciously.

"I don't know, he looked pretty bad though." She confessed.

What neither of them knew was that John was standing outside of the kitchen, and that he could hear them perfectly.

"I don't like the fact he's here." Bobby stated. "He has to be up to something."

John tapped his fingers on the wall and turned back the way he had come. Having made his decision on staying or going.

* * *

Audrey padded barefoot down the hall in deep thought. She walked down the stares onto the first floor and sighed. Something was different about Amelia, and it wasn't that her dark brown hair had turned charcoal- or that her green eyes had gone grey. 

She went outside and walked across the front yard, silently she sat on the edge of the fountain that was in front of the school. It was big, deep, long, and the water was pretty enough to distract her from her thoughts if she looked at it. But she didn't of course- she sat looking away from the water instead of into it.

Which is why she saw John when he walked around the back of the school. He looked clean and shaved, although still a little too skinny in her opinion.

"Hey!" Audrey called to him, waving her hand above her head.

He went very still. Then glanced over to where she was sitting.

She was there- and he liked her. He liked the way she waved. He liked the way she called his name- and who the hell was iceboy to think he could run him out of the school and from something he liked.

John smiled and walked over. Standing in front of her, Audrey beamed up at him.

"Hiya." Audrey said.

"Hey." He replied.

"So." She cleared her throat. "What is my kidnapper up to?"

John lifted his eyebrows.

"Okay, so technically, you're the hero formally known as my kidnapper." Audrey corrected.

"Your not going to change my name to a symbol next are you?" He asked.

"Maybe- how do you feel about aardvarks?" She asked mischievously.

"As my symbol?" He questioned, putting his hands in his pockets.

"No, as an animal." She told him, stretching her legs out in front of her.

"I think they look like pig elephants." He stated.

"Me too." She said, lighting up.

John grinned.

"Tha-" She began as Bobby jogged up behind John.

John looked over his shoulder.

"Hey Bob." Audrey called, standing up.

"You know him?" John asked.

"Yea, I'm making him show me around the joint." She said.

Bobby reached them and looked at John coldly.

"Pyro." He said as unenthusiastically as possible.

"Iceboy." John digged.

"Audrey." Audrey said brightly, without missing a beat.

Both of the boys looked at her.

"So you guys know each other." Bobby asked.

"Yea." John said looking at Bobby arrogantly.

Bobby looked at Audrey.

"He saved my life." She said.

John smiled.

"I thought he kidnapped you." Bobby stated.

John's smile faded dangerously.

Audrey's eyes flickered from John to Bobby- then she took a step back so her leg caught on the edge of fountain. She screeched and fell in with a loud splash.

The two guys immediately forgot all about the staredown and reached in to fish her out.

She popped up, her butt sitting at the bottom of the cold fountain. John grasped her arm, Bobby her other arm. But she wouldn't budge.

They looked at her, confused. Then she spit out a mouthful of water an grinned.

"That was unexpected." She said, her eyes shifting towards John. "And Nippy."

He let go of her arm and stepped away from the fountain, smirking.

"Come on, that waters freezing." Bobby said and pulled her out.

"I'm okay, really." She told him, patting his arm. She hopped out of the water and wrung out her shirt.

"I'm going to go get you a towel." Bobby said and Audrey nodded.

When Bobby walked away, and was out of earshot John looked at her, amused.

"You did that on purpose." He said quietly.

She sniffed. "Don't know what your talking about."

Bobby went inside and Audrey turned to John.

"C'mon, lets go." She said, ruffling her hair and walking towards the gate.

"What?" John asked, following her.

"I did that on purpose." She stated.

"Knew that." He told her.

"So we could go out and have some fun, because between kidnappings, coma's I have had no fun." She told him, tapping the closed gate that didn't budge.

"Your soaking wet." John stated.

"Bet that wasn't a sentence you'd planned on saying to me today." Audrey noted, grinning.

John suppressed a smile. "You haven't gotten any shoes on."

"So we knock over an old lady and take hers." She said rationally, while climbing the gate.

John couldn't hold his smile back this time.

Audrey looked over her shoulder. "Are you coming."

"I thought you wanted Bobby to show you ar--"

"Blah. Blah. Blah." She said, hopping down on the other side of the gate, she stood and turned to put her face between the bars. "I did, yes- but I just recently decided going out with you will be more fun. Now come on."

"Alright." John said smugly.

He walked over and pushed a button beside the gate, and the gate began to swing open slowly.

"Hey." She said. "That's cheating."

"Its easier than climbing." He told her.

"Yea, but it ruins the getaway vibe."

* * *

AN: I know, this one was a little short- but the next chapters goodness and length will make up for it. I promise. Oh and also- I'm just going to mention my other story 'Anywhere but here… please?' Its about two friends who get sucked into a zombie movie 'Dawn of the dead' and wreak havoc. Next chapter soon! 

PS. I have to mention that I love you all for reviewing- it rocks my day when I see that I got a review. Um, sorry if any spelling is out- I'm actually going through 'Pardon Me' and fixing the mistakes there, and being more careful when I'm typing. And Aoibhinn, your awesome, and I wish I could tell ya about Logan and Amelia, but even I havent decided fully yet.


	4. Flip Flopped

"_Ermehd_," Audrey made a sort of alien sound while squirming around in her wet Jeans.

John looked at her and lifted his eyebrows.

"Regretting the decision to jump _all the way _in the fountain." She explained. "Maybe I should have taken my jeans off first?" She asked.

"Well, that would have definitely added to the distraction." John said.

"Or maybe." She said, pausing and looking towards him. "I should have only thrown my top half in, and flailed about like I was too stupid to get out."

John laughed.

"Write that down." She told him, smiling. "That way I remember to try it next time I throw myself in a body of water just to sneak off with you."

"You plan on sneaking off with me often?" He asked.

Audrey shrugged and smiled mischievously. "Depends on if you remember to remind me to try the torso and up only thing in the water." She said.

Okay, if she didn't want to say yes or no to that- he'd play along.

"You couldn't remember that yourself?" John questioned, smiling.

"John." She said shaking her head. "If I'm too stupid to get out of a fountain I've fallen head first into- how am I supposed to remember that I planned on doing it in the first place?"

"Is that a trick question, or a riddle?" He asked, putting his hands in his pockets as they turned down the sidewalk.

"Why do you keep thinking I'm going to ask you a trick question?" She returned, turning in front of him and walking backwards so she could survey his answer.

"Most of the things you say sound like trick questions." He teased.

"That's weird." She said, thoughtfully. "Because most people just tell most of the things I say are stupid." Audrey tapped her chin.

"Who called you stupid?" He asked, his smile gone.

She thought. "We'll technically, nobody."

He nodded. Then. "Good."

Audrey folded a piece of wet hair behind her ear and surveyed him a moment, still walking backwards down the sidewalk.

John was watching both of their feet as they walked.

For every step he took forward she took one dance like step back.

He looked up. "Aren't you afraid your going to bump into someone?"

"Not really." Audrey said happily. "I'm a little worried about them bumping into me."

"You're the one walking backwards." John pointed out.

"Yea, which means if someone bumps into me they'll be walking forward, right?"

"..Okay." He said.

"Then they should watch where they're going." She told him with cheerful stubbornness.

"Maybe _you _should watch where you're going."

"I prefer to watch not where I'm going-"

"Obviously." He said smirking.

"Nor where I have been." She continued over-poetically. "But instead, _sir_- where I am at the moment."

"Then how do you know where you are if you don't know where your going or where you've been?" He asked, and then furrowing his eyebrows at the fact _she'd _drawn _him _into an actual meaningful conversation without knowing it.

"Don't care." She said shrugging.

He looked at her inquiringly.

"Don't care where I've been, don't care where I'm going- I like it here." She simplified.

He went back to watching his feet, and wondered briefly if that meant she liked being there with him.

Audrey took one more step back and her foot pressed down on a particularly sharp pebble.

"AHH!" She cried, hopping on one foot.

"Told you- you should have worn shoes." He said casually, and she stopped in her hopping long enough to give him a dirty look.

* * *

Amelia sat in her room. Trying to think about something, anything that could take her mind off that pile of ash just a few feet away.

That tiny little loss of control had terrified her more than she could believe possible. It was just a coat- a cheap windbreaker but Audrey had been there. Her little sister had been right there! What if she had-?

Amelia cut off that thought right there.

Obsessing over it would help nothing.

Her stomach growled and she closed her eyes in irritation.

Binge eating would help nothing either.

What could help? What would possibly take her mind of what she _could _have done? What she _had _done?

Her eyes darted to the pile of ash in front of her. She just needed to stay calm, to take it easy and work on her control some more.

She told herself that she could do it, that she could handle that explosiveness inside. Her shoulders relaxed and she felt the tension slide away. She opened her eyes- unaware of her shrinking pupils.

She clung onto some unknown shred of inner calm she had.

"Just- stay calm." She whispered to herself her eyes closing once more.

There was a knock on the door and her eyes opened as soon as they'd closed.

"Amelia?" Storm Called from the other side of the door, adding a few knocks.

Amelia slid off her heavy coat and got off the bed, pulling the door open and looking at the white haired woman questioningly.

Storms expression was hesitant, solemn.

Amelia raised an eyebrow.

"Audrey's gone." Storm said.

"_What_?"

* * *

"Okay." Audrey said as they approached a cart where a man was selling clay busts of dragons- dogs, unicorns and other things. She picked up a sculpture of a gorilla and padded it between her hands. Her eyes narrowing on an elderly woman sitting on a park bench about twenty feet away.

"Okay what?" John asked, stepping beside her. Twenty minutes of walking and they had just gotten into the outskirts of town.

Audrey continued to gaze fixedly at the elderly woman. John followed her line of vision and felt himself fighting a smirk.

"No." He said simply.

"Oh, come on- you distract her and I sneak up behind her, and bam-" Audrey had lifted the ape sculpture above her head, but got caught off as the cart vendor snatched it from her grasp and glared. "Oh, come on I wasn't _really _going to do it." She told the guy as though he were being unbelievably unreasonable.

The cart vendor in his thirties gave her one last hard look and put his gorilla sculpture back onto his cart.

Audrey looked up at John. "He really thought I was going to try and knock out an old lady with his crappy thing." She said, as the vendor gave her yet another particularly scathing look.

John looked over her head and gave the guy a death glare.

Audrey furrowed her eyebrows and then realized what was going on; she looked over her shoulder at the vendor. "Oh- get over yourself." She admonished, "You're not Da Vinci!"

John looked to Audrey. "That guy was a dick."

* * *

The pair walked into a gas station a few minutes later. Audrey approached the counter and leaned over it, smiling at the woman who worked there.

"Hi." Audrey said.

"Hello." The woman responded cheerfully, seemingly immediately infected with Audrey's happiness. "Can I help you?"

"Yes actually." She said to the woman, tapping her fingers on the counter. "I was wondering if I could see your lost and found."

"Hun I'm sorry." The woman said. "We don't have one- did you loose something?"

Audrey sighed. "Yea, my shoes." She told her, lifting her bare- filthy foot into the air.

"Oh." The lady said, looking over the counter at Audrey's foot. "We have some of those Jerky Stick flip flops over there." She pointed to a small rack of bright yellow flip flops which read. 'Delicious, Jerky Sticks' in bright red letters.

Audrey grinned. "Thank you maim." Then turned around and looked at John while leaning her back against the counter.

John lifted his eyebrows.

Audrey batted her eyelashes.

He felt himself smirk. "You got something in your eye?"

The bell on the gas station door rang as John stepped out, followed by Audrey who had on a pair of obnoxiously yellow flip flops on.

"This was a good idea you had." Audrey told John appreciatively while sipping on the strawberry Icee he'd gotten her.

"Thanks." He said nodding and taking a drink of his own.

"And thanks for the flip flops." Audrey added.

"No problem." He told her.

"Oh, look at that." Audrey told him suddenly with all the wonder of a child, tapping his shoulder and pointing at a billboard.

John and Audrey stood, staring up at the large 'Got Milk' billboard.

It was a simply picture of a dairy cow- with the simple question, got milk? - But it raised so many, many questions for Audrey.

"Who do you think was the first guy to look at a cow and say 'I think I'll drink whatever comes outta _that _when I tug on it!" She asked thoughtfully.

John put his hands in his pockets and tilted his head contemplatively, thinking about it. "Part of me doesn't want to know." He said after a minute.

"Yea, I know whatcha mean." She agreed and took another sip of her Icee. "I've decided to stay at the academy."

"What?" John asked.

"I'm staying at Xavier's." She repeated.

"What about your ballerina thing?" He questioned.

She shrugged. "I love dancing, but-" Audrey paused. "I think I should stay with Amelia. She's… different."

"What do you mean?"

"I think she needs someone to be there for her." She attempted to clarify but John only gave her an inquiring look. "I don't know how to explain it, she's just- she seems like she needs me."

John nodded. "So you're just going to give up something you want for your sister?"

"I'm not giving up anything." She told him, taking a long drink out of her Icee as she walked across the gas station parking lot.

"You're giving up the ballet thing." He pointed out, walking along with her.

"I can still dance." She told him, stepping up onto curb and hopping to the sidewalk. "I'll just have to find a job somewhere on my own without having the school hold my hand."

With that she latched her mouth onto her straw again.

Audrey stopped guzzling her slushy. Opened her mouth to speak but then clamped a hand over her head. "Brain freeze." She whined and buried her face into his shoulder.

John felt the warmth of her face through his t-shirt and grimaced. Audrey was trouble; she could practically smell it on her. He inhaled deeply..., trouble smelt kind of good.

She whimpered a little, sending a vibration through his chest.

John's eyes hooded and he felt himself becoming lost in 'thoughts.'

Audrey pulled back, too soon in his opinion, and looked up at him squinting harshly. "Almost gone- not quite but almost gone." She said about the brain freeze and massaged the side of her head.

Then, as though the brain freeze was completely forgotten her eyes perked open and she leaned a little to look around him.

"Hey." She said thoughtfully.

"Huh?" looking over his shoulder.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"That depends." He said, looking to her questioningly. "Do you think it's a bus stop?"

"No, I think it's a Ferris wheel." She said sarcastically and smiled at him. "How would you like to go for a bus ride?" She asked persuasively, wandering off the sidewalk and onto the lawn which separated her from the bus stop.

"How would you like to tell me where to?" He asked, mimicking her as he followed.

She stopped walking and looked over her shoulder at him.

"Was that you- resisting my charms?" Audrey questioned, appearing scandalized.

"What charms?" He said, provokingly

"My… Many charms." She said raising an eyebrow, and then added in a ridiculous Irish accent. "They're magically delicious."

John laughed at that.

Laughter, he realized was something that just came out naturally when she was around. It wasn't forced or pushed by a string of jokes and a punch line. It just was.

"I have charms." She stated, and walked past him, grazing his shoulder.

"Oh yea?" John asked, as though disbelieving.

"Yea." She informed him, and then, instead of continuing her walk to the bus stop she began to circle him, smirking.

They locked eyes in a challenging but playful way.

"Yea?" He questioned, continuing there battle.

"Yea."

"Really?" He was antagonizing her on purpose now, and couldn't help but grin about it.

"Yea." Audrey too, began to grin like a fool.

A beat of silence, and John couldn't help himself. "Yea?"

"You know what?" She laughed, turning on him quickly and pouncing like a cat; she dug her hand into his side and began to tickle him violently.

John burst out laughing even though he didn't want to.

Damn, how did she know he was ticklish?

He tripped and tumbled backwards into the thick grass, his frozen drink flying from his grasp and landing a few feet away.

Audrey crouched by his feet, snickering. She put her drink down on the ground beside her and waited as the last few rolls of laughter came out John.

He took a few deep breaths and sat up, looking at her he began to fight his own smile. "That wasn't cool." He told her flatly.

She shrugged, watching him with an odd sparkle in her eyes.

"What?" He asked suspiciously.

"You hadn't been tickled before." She said knowingly.

He studied her for a moment. "Yes I have."

"By who?" She asked quickly.

Silence.

She began to chuckle.

"Damn it." He said harshly, only pushing her from a chuckle into full blown laughter, pleased with herself amusement.

"I knew it! I knew you were a tickle virgin!" She exclaimed, shaking with laughter.

"And what are you? A tickle slut?" He asked leaning forward and raising his eyebrows.

Audrey only smirked. "Let's just say I'm tickle experienced."

"Oh really?" He asked slowly and her smirk faded.

His eyes glinted and her eyebrows shot up.

"No." She began to say. "Oh, no nooahhh!" She shrieked as he jumped on her. His hands shooting to her sides. She snorted loudly and fell quickly into hysterics as he attacked without mercy.

* * *

Albert and Mary Gibson were on there usual walk in their usual matching jogging suits as they walked past an unusual sight, they stopped.

A both and girl were wrestling and laughing loudly on the grass only twenty feet away.

"Young love." Albert said to his wife.

"Remember when you were that young?" Mary asked him.

"Remember when you were that limber?" Albert answered wryly as he saw the girl bend her foot up between herself and her companion- then pressed her foot flat against the young mans chest and kick him backwards.

Mary rolled her eyes and allowed her husband to wrap his arm around her affectionately.

* * *

Audrey fought to say something understandable but couldn't quite manage it. Every word she attempted to form came out as a chortle and squeal.

John released her side just long enough for her to catch her breath. "I'm sorry, what was that?" He asked with superiority.

She calmed down and let out a sigh, gazing up at him. Arrogantly pleased with his tickling abilities she grinned. "I said." Audrey began and took a deep breath "You're pretty good for a first timer. AH!"

He'd moved in for a second attack, throwing himself completely on top of her and seeking began to seek out armpits. "Alright smartass." John chuckled.

She planted a foot in the dirt and kicked off, loosing her flip flop in the motion- but gaining advantage as she flipped them both over.

There was a crack of plastic, and John stopped laughing.

Audrey who was currently startling him exploded in hysterics the second she read his expression. She then glanced up and saw an elderly couple in matching jogging outfits watching them both. Now that- just pushed her over the edge. She slid off of John and onto the grass where she had no other choice but to look away and curl up as her body was shaking with a fit of amusement.

His eyes shifted to her back and he shook his head while he sat up, the back of his shirt stained with cold blue Icee.

"That was refreshing." He said unenthusiastically to Audrey, who was now laughing so hard she couldn't even make noise anymore. "Glad to see you find this funny."

Audrey snorted.

"Nice." John grumbled to himself, and dusted off his hand, giving Audrey one last glance a small smile flickered onto his face.

* * *

The bell on the gas station door rang as Audrey and John stepped out once again. This time Audrey was carrying the key to the bathroom instead of a jumbo sized slushy. They walked around the corner of the gas station and to the locked lavatory.

She handed the key to John and allowed him to do the honors.

"Have I ever told you how much gas station bathrooms scare me?" She asked.

"No." John answered walking into the bathroom, without missing a beat she followed him.

"Only the really disgusting ones though-" She flipped on the light and saw that this bathroom was not at all nauseatingly filthy. "Hmm, marvelously maintained." She noted as the door closed behind her.

"Yea, its not one of those bathrooms that make you feel like your going to catch Chlamydia from just walking through the door." John noted and ripped off some paper towels before wetting them.

Audrey laughed out loud and leaned against the door, watching while he tried to clean his shirt.

He was standing with his back to the mirror, looking over his shoulder and trying to reach the large blue splat just below his shoulders. Audrey shook her head.

"You're never going to get it clean like that." She said and reached under his shirt.

The second he felt fingertips against his stomach skin, John went ridged. Audrey sensed it and fell very still, her fingers just barely tucked underneath the cotton of his shirt.

He looked at her reflection in the mirror, his face unreadable.

"Um." Audrey gulped and removed her hands, talking a step back from him, trying to act casual. "I wasn't trying to feel you up or anything." She told him, forcing a smile. "It's just- you're going to have to take off the shirt to clean it."

John didn't turn around to face her. He made no move, only watched her reflection silently for a few seconds. "Yea, I guess your right." He said, and then without thinking- as though it were some kind of raw impulse or delayed reaction- he pulled his shirt off over his head.

Audrey watched his back muscles ripple as the shirt was pulled off and she was overwhelmed by that feeling in her stomach- the one you get when going down a large hill while you're in the car. She blinked several times as she watched him avoid her eyes and keep his attention focused on the shirt he was lowering into the sink.

Grinning like an idiot over the realization of how much she liked him, Audrey hopped over to John and peered over his shoulder, eyes raking over his neck and up to his face.

"Hey John?" She whispered suddenly.

He fell still again and then slowly turned his head to look down at her. "Yea?"

She stood on her tip toes to get close to his height and leaned forward slowly, consciously. Giving him the chance to shove her away if he wanted.

But he didn't, he only began to breathe a bit harder.

Emboldened she cut off the turtle speed and wisped forward, her eyes closing- her lips grazing his lightly. It was more of a question than a kiss.

His eyes had closed as soon as he'd felt lip on lip contact.

It was so completely innocent, gentle-

John groaned against her mouth- he'd never been more turned on in his life. He felt her lips spread into a smile as the kiss deepened. He turned his body away from the sink and towards Audrey without breaking the kiss.

Her hands, warm and feminine settled on his sides, the instant he felt that consuming heat spread over his skin and into his chest as they touched. Eyebrows furrowed as his left hand traveled up to her neck and into her hair while the other fastened onto her side, pulling Audrey closer to himself and securing her there.

It turned out to be fairly easy for them both to turn an innocent kiss into indecent one.

John turned them both around and backed Audrey up against the sink. She nipped at his bottom lip; smirking and he retaliated by lifting her up and setting her on the sink.

Audrey immediately ripped her mouth away from Johns.

"Oh! Cold! "She yipped in surprise.

The drenched t-shirt which had been long forgotten, had become a clog, and John had sat Audrey right into a sink full of icy cold water.

Audrey gaped like a fish and removed her now freezing wet buttocks from the cold waters. "Ooh, butt freeze." She whined.

The back of her Jeans looked like she'd wet herself, and John burst into laughter.

He was immediately silenced by a freezing, balled up wet shirt hitting him right in the face.

It was Audrey's turn to laugh at his expense- and she did so with joy.

John gaped at her a minute then simply stepped forward and lifted the dripping wet shirt over her head- and wrung it out.

She was silenced by the cold water drizzling onto her head steadily. Her eyes immediately darted to John, who looked down at her smiling smugly.

"Oh." She said, shaking her head.

"Oh?" He taunted.

She immediately turned for the sink and scooped up some water in her palm. John wrapped his arm around her waist and attempted to pull her away from the water but he was too late, she splashed him in the face from over her shoulder.

She began to chuckle and hid the lower half of her face behind her arm. Leaving only her large twinkling eyes to laugh at him.

"Oh." He said this time. Perfect impression of how she'd done it.

"Oh?" She taunted _him _this time and splashed him with another palm full of water.

And the great water battle began- only ending when the entire tile floor was so splattered with water that when John tugged her away from the sink, he slipped on the tile and fell backwards. If the room were bigger he would have hit ground- being the size it was he only slammed against the door, Audrey, still entangled in his arms got yanked into his chest hard enough to nearly knock the wind out of him.

"Oomph." and the pair began to slide down the door and onto the cold floor together- Audrey clutching her stomach, chuckling despite the fact her abdominal muscles ached from laughing so much.

Both sighed in exhaustion.

He rested his head against the door and looked down at Audrey. "Truce?"

She nodded. "Truce."


	5. Big Fight

Amelia stormed quickly down the hall.

She, was fuming. Xavier had just out right told her 'no' when she asked him to tell her where Audrey was. All he would say way 'She's safe, she deserves her privacy too'. Disgusting, he was supposed to be on her side!

"Refuse to tell me where my sister is." She growled to herself, shoving the kitchen door open and walking through without so much as glancing at the teenagers sitting at the counter and eating ice cream.

Bobby stopped mid bite and smiled sadistically. "Pyro's in trouble."

Rogue rolled her eyes.

Through the kitchen, then up the stairs. Grim was muttering to herself practically every step. "Every right to know." She said under her breath. Clenching her palms. "Not like I'm going to kill the kid-" She stopped talking to herself and thought as she turned up another flight of stairs. "Well I won't kill Audrey." She stated reaching the top of the stairs and throwing open the large wood door in front of her. Stomping into the hall. "But that little pyromaniac punk's a different story."

She walked right to the end of the hall and stopped in front of the last door. "You're not the only telepath at this school old man." Then, without any further hesitation- Amelia banged on the door and waited.

There was no answer.

She banged again, less patiently.

No answer, no sound from inside.

"Damn it! I know you're in there!" She said, slapping the door with her open palm.

The door was suddenly yanked open, Jean stood, looking unimaginably frustrated. "_What_?"

"I need your help." Amelia stated, hands on hips.

Jean blinked.

"It's getting _dark _and my sisters _gone _and Xavier _wont _tell me where she is, and you're the most powerful _telepath _I could go to- _so_." Amelia spread her arms a little. "Here I am."

"You don't even like me." Jean stated.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I mean- I'm just surprised you even considered coming to me."

"I did more than consider." Amelia said, "I'm actually here."

Jean seemed to be lost in her own head for a minute. Then. "Xavier doesn't want you to-"

"Look, Xavier might be able to read minds. But he doesn't know Audrey." Amelia said. "I do, and the girls a walking disaster waiting to happen."

Jean seemed to be listening.

"So far in her lifetime she's been kidnapped, drown, put in a coma, fallen off a building, broken her arm, set the house on fire, set a cat on fire, crashed the car, and started two different riots." Amelia took a deep breath. "I just need to know, where she is and if she is safe. That's all!"

"She's started riots…"

"The first one when she was _nine_."

Jean blinked again. "She's safe."

Amelia looked less than convinced. "How do you know?"

"They're sneaking in down stairs." Jean stated.

This time Amelia blinked.

* * *

"I think that stain might actually be there awhile." Audrey said, running her hand over the big blue blotch on Johns back.

His shoulders twitched involuntarily as she did this.

"But." She said, standing on her toes and setting her chin on his shoulder. "It's a happy stain."

He looked over at her skeptically. "There are happy stains."

"Yea." She wrinkled her nose. "Two different kinds, this is the _clean _kind."

Then to Audrey's delight, John grinned. He'd grinned at her dirty joke. And, that made her grin.

She took her head off his shoulder and walked in front of him, tilting her chin upward. Waggling her eyebrows.

John only smiled at her, and then leaned down. Before his lips could touch hers however.

"Where have you been?"

Audrey's eyes- which had closed in the anticipation of a kiss- flew open.

"Ooo," She breathed, looking up at John seriously. "Busted."

* * *

"Completely irresponsible." Amelia said, pacing in front of the large leather couch Audrey and John sat on. Each on different ends. "How- no forget how." She stopped pacing and looked to her little sister darkly. "I _know _how you could be this irresponsible, you were born this irresponsible."

"Look, what's the big deal?" Audrey asked, standing. "We went out, we had fun, and we came back."

"What's the big deal!" Amelia yelled. "You could be dead."

"I'm not."

"That's good!"

"Good!"

"I was worried!"

"You shouldn't have been!" Audrey yelled back. "I was fine."

"I didn't know that!"

"Don't you trust me?"

"No, I don't trust him!" Amelia pointed at John, who lifted his eyebrows.

"Well I do!" Audrey stated, putting her hands on her hips. John's eyes shifted to his red haired spas and his eyebrows went up further.

"He kidnapped you!" Amelia shouted.

"So what?" Audrey demanded.

And the fighting continued as a group of students formed outside the den. Silently watching.

Bobby and Rogue had actually started it. Rogue felt bed about that. About hearing the yelling from the kitchen and coming in here and watching all of this.

It was their personal business and nobody should have been watching. She looked next to her where Bobby stood, his eyebrows knotting.

"Why are they only yelling at each other?" He whispered. "Why isn't Grim dusting Pyro.?"

"Because she's angrier at her sister for being irresponsible." Rogue whispered back.

"If anybody should be angry it should be the redhead." Jubilee said. "She was just trying to have a good time."

"She nearly died." Kitty told them. "She shouldn't have been out at all; she should have been here where it's safe."

"Who says its safe here for her?" Colossus asked, having to bend down to the others height. "It's barely safe here for us."

"Do you think they'll start hitting each other?" Static questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you think they'll take their cloths off?" Shock, Static's identical twin questioned.

"Maybe they'll take their cloths off and hit each other." Static said, his face lighting up.

They both grinned evilly.

Jubilee hit static upside the head. "Quit being a pervert."

Shock started to chuckle, then yelped as a small explosion of fireworks singed his ear.

"You too." She added warningly.

Both thirteen year old boys scowled.

"You think The Reapers going to dust her?" Colossus wondered out loud.

"You think maybe you guys should go do your homework or something?" Logan asked from behind them.

Everyone's eyes widened slightly. They turned slowly to the large clawed man who had his arms folded over his chest. They did the only thing they could do- they feigned innocence.

"Hey Logan." Static said.

"How's it going?" Shock asked.

Wolverine only lifted an eyebrow at them.

"We were just leaving." Rogue said, gabbing Bobby and pulling him off.

"Yea. Us too." Colossus said, walking off with Kitty.

"Same here." The twins said at exactly the same moment, and with a loud zap- they were gone.

Jubilee, the only one left smiled. "Want to watch the big fight with me?"

"Clear off." Logan said.

"Clearing." She chirped, bouncing away.

"Why am I even arguing with you?" Amelia snapped.

"Because you're too damn stubborn and you wont just back off!" Audrey retorted, very loudly.

Despite the fact, he knew he shouldn't have gotten involved in this. Logan spoke up when Amelia didn't respond to what her little sister had said.

"She was just worried about ya, kid." He said, leaning against the doorway.

"Stay out of it!" Audrey shouted at him, with a ferocity which made his eyebrows shoot upward.

"Don't yell at him." Amelia warned.

"Can I say something?" John asked, standing up.

"No!"

"Hey, if I can't yell at your boyfriend- you sure as hell can't yell at mine." Audrey said, for the first time in several minutes- not yelling.

Everyone fell silent.

Logan raised a single eyebrow.

John ran his hand through his hair.

Amelia huffed. "Logan is not my boyfriend." She jerked her thumb towards John. "And you're not old enough to date."

"I'm seventeen." Audrey stated.

"Well." Amelia put her hands on her hips and seemed to struggle with her words for a moment. "You- you, aren't allowed to date until…"

"Until what, menopause?" Audrey asked.

Amelia ground her teeth and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Audrey, you don't know what you're getting into by being here. You're just a kid."

"No I'm not."

"You're not an adult."

"Yes I am."

"No, your not."

"_Yah_- I am."

"_Prove it_."

Now, what Amelia had meant by 'Prove it.' was, prove you're an adult and do something responsible. Unfortunately, all she had said was prove it. And Audrey wasn't the kind of girl who would respond to what you _meant_.

And John knew, exactly what she was going to do. Before she'd even done it.

Audrey reached up and cupped both of her breasts- pushing them upward with little to no shame. Holding her proof as it were. "Need any more proof, do ya?" She demanded.

Logan's jaw dropped.

Amelia's eyes narrowed.

John had to hold back an entertained smile.

"Go to your room." Amelia said quietly. Biting her lip.

"Gladly." Audrey replied sweetly. Grabbing Johns hand and pulling him from the room without a look back.

Logan walked into the room, his arms folded. "Grim?"

"I _know_." She sighed, allowing her head to roll back. "She doesn't have a room."

* * *

I'm sorry it was short, there is no excuse other than I've been busy and I promise to update soon with a nice- good- long- rounded chapter!


	6. Dr Phil!

"How can she- why would she?" Amelia asked Logan, looking absolutely confused. "He _kidnapped _her." The tall, dark haired mutant was pacing again- in front of the couch again, only this time Logan was the person sitting on it, his arms crossed. "_Boyfriend_?" She asked, incredulous.

He lifted an eyebrow. "She's a teenage girl."

"So- she's insane?" Amelia demanded, swiping a piece of her dark hair behind her ear.

Logan tilted his head in a half second of thought. "Somethin' like that, yea.- and would ya _stop _pacing?" He demanded, annoyed.

"No." She snapped without hesitation. "This is how I work out frustration." She added.

She was worked up- which was making him tense. He didn't know why, (though he had some idea that it involved the fact that if this chick got pissed off enough she could dust him and everything else within a mile around.) and he didn't like it.

"You know- Grim. There are other ways of working out frustration." Logan said.

"Name one that doesn't involve me pacing or turning something to ashes." Grimm requested, looking over her shoulder at him and blinking.

"Okay." He stated, standing up abruptly. "Maybe instead of doin' whatever it is that your doin'. You should talk to your sister."

"We've talked." Grim growled.

"No. You've yelled." Logan stated.

"Shut up." She snapped.

"Ya know ya need to talk to her Grim." He said bluntly. "She's family- she actually cares about what's happened and is happening to you. Not everyone has that."

"Well thank you Doctor Phil!" Amelia purred mockingly, even though he was right. Damn him to hell for it too. Her shoulders slumped she didn't want to admit it, and she wouldn't- but she knew, and that hurt her pride a little. He was right, she was wrong. Sighing, she stopped pacing and looked over at him darkly. "You're supposed to be on my side."

"Since when? I became your boyfriend?" He asked sarcastically.

"Funny." Amelia stated.

"I'm a funny guy."

She only lifted her lip in a half snarl like expression and walked out of the room. In search of Audrey. Ugh, somehow she wasn't surprised. She'd spent the majority of the last seventeen years of her life 'in search of Audrey' 'taking care of Audrey' 'keeping Audrey out of trouble'.

Irresponsible, idiotically independent, childish- spas Audrey!

Obviously the girl would never grow up- or think of anything other than herself.

Amelia turned down another wainscoted hallway- no Audrey in sight. Amelia thought briefly that she should make her sister wear a bell.

And then she heard it.

"Cannot believe her..."Audrey mumbled, pulling John down the hallway with her. "Huffing and puffing just because I went out and had a little bit of fun!" She snapped, and snorted indignantly. "Well if little miss panties in a bunch control freak had anything to do with it I'd live…" She paused and spun around to look at John. "I'd live in a safety cone! Where she could watch me all of the time and-" Audrey released his hand and raised hers together in some gnarled, frustrated kind of sign language. As though she were too frustrated to speak. Even though she kept on speaking. "Where I would be kept away from everything not G rated and have to sing upbeat little songs about brushing my teeth and going to bed at night and how your supposed to save it for marriage an-"

"I wouldn't put you in a safety cone." Amelia drawled. "I'd put you in a padded cell."

Audrey's hands dropped and she looked up at John. In the 'kill me now, please'. Way.

John looked at her and then at Amelia- who's eyes narrowed at him. He then glanced down the hall. Like he was trying the best way out of the situation. Yea well, Amelia had no problem helping him go away.

"Audrey, a word?" She asked, her voice low. Grey eyes flickering momentarily to John. "Alone."

"Is it sorry?" Audrey countered, turning towards her sister and crossing her arms.

"Yes." The older sister said flatly. Which- took the small redhead by surprise.

"Oh." Audrey said, lifting her eyebrows. "Then- um, Yea.- John if you don't mind-" She looked over her shoulder only to find that John, once again had left without her noticing. "_How _does he _do _that?" She asked, in wonder.

Amelia- who John had waved to dismissively briefly before walking off, blinked. A million and one comments could be made about Audrey's at that moment, but she chose to keep her mouth shut.- Well at least about that.

"You didn't, like get me alone to kill me did you?" Audrey asked suspiciously. Even if it was false suspicion, it stung.

She didn't mean it, the way that Amelia took it. Audrey would have had absolutely no idea of how close to home that question hit. Or how hard.

An ache in her chest, Amelia stared at her little sister. Holding back whatever dangerous emotions were threatening to come to the surface. "I thought you were dead."

"I was gone 3 hours!" Audrey exclaimed, exasperated.

"Can we not have a screaming match in the hallway please?" Amelia asked shortly.

"Can we not have a screaming match at all!" Audrey retorted.

"Sure, if you'd stop screaming."

"Oh. Fine then."

"Good."

"Great."

"_Fantastic_." Amelia ground out.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else and talk about this." Audrey stated.

"Since the hallway isn't exactly the best place?" She asked sarcastically.

"Something like that."

"Lets go then, okay?"

"Fine."

"Good."

"_Great_."

"DO you want me to throttle you?" Grim demanded.

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Jean sat beside Scotts bed quietly, staring at him.

He was a sight- a very bad one. Bruised and bandaged, sleeping quietly, hooked up to a nearly countless amount of machines. Some to make sure his heart kept beating, others to check on his brain functions. A familiar stinging in her head and heart alerted Jean to the fact that this was really happening.

The one man she loved, she nearly killed.

She almost didn't want him to wake up- because she didn't want to see the look in his eyes when he did. The hurt, the accusation.. And worse of all-- his love.

Jean stood and walked to his bedside silently. As always- a quaking under her skin, a vibration, a awareness that she was fighting every second for control. Every fiber of her being seemed to be enraged by this, angry with herself, disgusted at the fact she was so weak.

Her eyes flickered over Scott once more, she'd done this to him. And, she had actually enjoyed it when she had.

Nausea hit her like she'd been punched in the stomach.

Why had she liked it? Why was there something so tempting about destruction!

The screaming inside her mind was he own. Frustration, confusion, rage. Something was wrong, whatever that woman had done to her, whatever she'd unlocked back in Alkali lake. It felt wrong and raw, and it was going to be too much to handle.

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"Okay. You got me here, and then you got all quiet and stressed." Audrey noted, surveying her sister who was standing by one of the large windows in her room.

There was silence.

Audrey began tapping her foot.

Amelia sighed heavily and began rubbing her temple, concentrating, debating, fearing. If she told Audrey what all had happened to her- if she allowed herself to let her sister know, what she'd done than… Amelia fell still. This was it, this was what she was going to have to do to be sure…

Audrey tapped her foot louder.

"I get the point." Amelia stated and her sister ceased tapping. Turning, with a heavy hart and a migraine that made her feel as though her head were about to explode. She gestured for her sister to sit down on the bed, which she did without hesitation. "Audrey- I'm a mutant-"

"Yea I know that- oh, wait is this like you testing my memory because you think my brain got all jumbled when I was in the coma, which by the way if I haven't told you. Coma- sucked."

"No, its not. Its just, if I'm going to tell you this. I need to tell you a certain way." She clarified- or at least she'd hoped she'd clarified. Audrey only stared up at her blankly for a moment.

Amelia stared back.

Audrey blinked.

Amelia blinked.

"Are you trying to tell me what I think your trying to tell me?" Audrey asked, lifting an eyebrow curiously.

"I-"

"Cause if you are, then I already know."

Amelia felt as though she'd been kicked in the chest. She didn't know what to expect, screaming- shouting, disgust. Suddenly aware of the fact she was holding her breath, Amelia tried to breathe- but she couldn't. The tension running through her body and making her legs feel weak seemed to be stronger than her will to not crumble right then and there.

Since when did fear hurt so bad physically.

"And I don't care." Audrey stated. "Your still my sister, and I still love you."

You know that feeling- when a cars coming right at you at eighty mph and all you can do is stand there and watch it head your way. Because you feel as though you deserve to be hit? Well, that's okay because very few sane people do.

Well anyways, that's what Amelia had been feeling. And at the moment those last words had fallen from her sisters lips. It was like the car had stopped dead in its tracks but a brief second before hitting her.

"I mean, its your choice." Audrey continued, daftly. "If you choose to be a lesbian than all I can do is support your desis--"

"WHAT?"

"If you choose to be a lesbian than-"

"I AM NOT A LESBIAN!"

"Amelia, its okay really. I mean gay is the new straight."

"I." Amelia stood, jaw gaping. "No." She stated, waving her hands about. "_NO_."

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OMFG! I'm actually updating! I am such a sac' o crap, for not doing it sooner. And I apologize. I actually feel dirty for abandoning this story. Which I deserve huh? Anyways- I'm getting back into the groove of the story. More to come, REVIEW cough Please?


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